Harvard Takes Notes Of Woman Battling Cancer With Diet

In 2005, Kathy Bero was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer and given 21 months to live. Then 41, surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation all failed to defeat the cancer inside of her, the television station reported.

“Eleven months after my first diagnosis, I was diagnosed with a high-grade tumor in my head and neck,” Bero told WISN-TV, adding that the treatments were of no benefit. “My kidneys were failing. My liver was failing. My lungs were damaged. My heart was damaged. I told my oncologist that I’m done with that protocol because one way or another. I’m going to die. And I don’t want to go that way.”

Bero ended chemotherapy and on the advice of a friend, started a diet of anti-angiogenic foods, including organic vegetables such as purple potatoes, carrots and leeks, according to WISN-TV. Anti-angiogenic foods essentially block the creation of blood vessels so cancer can’t easily spread.

“Leeks are at the top of the cancer-fighting list,” said Bero, who also incorporated berries, walnuts, green tea and herbs, and garlic, according to the television station. “When a recipe calls for two cloves (of garlic), I’m probably going to put in six because garlic is a really strong cancer fighter.”

Now, some 12 years after doctors gave her less than two years to live, Bero is reportedly cancer-free with the help of the diet and energy healing of Reiki, meditation and visualization, she said to WISN-TV. She is now an author and cancer coach.

“Food is medicine to me is really important because if we use food as medicine we have to use clean food,” Bero told the Enterprise. “You can’t grow it in an environment where there (are) toxins.”

Dr. Isaac Kohane told WISN-TV that Bero will be part of a study with other so-called cancer treatment “outliers” to learn more on how they beat cancer and how it could help others.

“I’m now validated,” Bero told WISN-TV. “I’m no longer the ‘crazy cancer patient.’ There’s a real science that is going to be there.

“(Researchers are) looking at our genetics and the genetics of the tumor. What the outliers did; their attitude, environment, faith, social support. What they’re trying to do is create a database of all these different things and look for the commonalities between these people,” Bero added.